The Last Star at Twilight
by mavy1
Summary: "Summer why do we live here, alone, when you speak of the clan as though it was the greatest time of your life?"  "Because dear one, it is... best that we stay here, where it is... safe." please R
1. Allegiances

Allegiances

Shatteredclan

Leader Wolfstar - Big dark grey tom with light grey splotches and dark blue eyes

Deputy Sunstorm - orange taby tom with brown eyes

Apprentice, Windpaw

Medicine Cat Dreamcatcher - light brown and white she-cat with amber-green eyes

Apprentice, Deeppaw - a deep brown she-cat with dark blue eyes

Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits)

Cougarfoot - big sandy-brown tom cat with large white feet.

Apprentice, Moonpaw

Stormchaser - a blue-grey tom with blue-grey eyes and a single dark grey patch on his eye

Firedancer - a brownish-red she-cat with amber-green eyes

Apprentice, Ravenpaw

Oaktail - brown tom with long fur

Stoneleaf - grey and brown she-cat with amber eyes

Daydreamer - light grey and white she-cat with searching amber-green eyes

Apprentice, Lionpaw

Silvermoon - silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Blackwing - sleek black tom with amer eyes and grey paws

Hawkeye - tabby tom with dark grey stripes and yellow eyes

Apprentice, Willowpaw

Redfoot - red-brown she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentices (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

Windpaw - small light grey she-cat with amber-green eyes and red-brown paws

Willowpaw - grey she-cat with big blue eyes and long fur

Moonpaw - dark blue-grey she-cat with blue-grey eyes

Ravenpaw - dark grey tom cat with green eyes

Lionpaw - sandy coloured tom with amber eyes

Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Darkpoppy - dark grey coat with pale blue eyes

Bircall - pretty silver tabby with green eyes

Duskheart - ginger-and-red with amber eyes

Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired)

Sunstream - golden tabby she-cat

Rainpelt - grey she-cat with blue eyes

Silverwind - silver she-cat with pale blue eyes

Tigerpelt - tabby tom with amber-green eyes; the oldest cat in Shatteredclan

Maplefur - Brown tom with green eyes

Cats Outside Clans

Summer - small grey-brown she-cat with amber eyes; formerly of Shatteredclan

Ember - half grey-brown half amber-brown she-cat with amber eyes

Twilight - dark blue-grey she-cat with yellow eyes

Snow - white she-cat with yellow eyes


	2. prologue

The night was cold and filled with the promise of snow. The leaves on the trees were falling off of their branches, and the wind was as sharp as the claws of a warrior. The rocky earth had given way to the soft, mossy floor of a pine forest that smelled vaguely familiar, and that eventually gave way to the undergrowth of a forest of deciduous trees. A wave of guilt swept over the small, grey-brown she cat as she fled from her clan. She had never felt this way before; she had always been wanted by at least one other cat. Now, she was alone, alone and helpless. The three tiny kits that walked beside her were her only family now. And one day, maybe even they wouldn't want her, as her so called "sisters" before them, her mate and her friends. It was difficult to leave everything behind that she knew and loved, but it was what she had done for herself and her kits, and there was no going back now. But no matter what, leaf-bare was still coming, and if they didn't find shelter soon there was no hope for her or her kits. She prayed to StarClan for a miracle as they padded on through the night.

* * *

A young amber-and-brown she-cat crept across the forest floor. Her paws moved noiselessly over the ground. Only a few more feet and she would have the mouse. Then, suddenly, a twig snapped under her paw. The mouse scrambled into a hole and did not reappear.

"Damn, not again! That's the third time today!" The young cat yowled.

"It's okay, I'm sure you'll get the next one. My mentor in the clan taught me everything I know, and I wouldn't want to be the one to tell her that she didn't teach me right," an older, grey-brown she-cat replied. She was no more than 20 moons old and had a dark secret that few knew. Then the younger cat, who was about 8 moons old, asked the question she had been dreading for many moons.

"Summer, why do we live here, alone, when you speak of the clan as though it was the greatest time of your life?"

"Because, dear one, it is... best that we stay here, where it is safe..."


	3. Chapter 1

It had been nearly 8 moons since Summer had fled her clan. Her kits had grown up to be fine young cats. Twilight was the best hunter and ember was the best fighter. Snow was the leader of the 3 young cats, and they knew that if Summer died she would be in charge.

Sometimes Summer would find herself woundering what their life would have been like if she had stayed in the clan. But, she convinced herself time after time that they were better off here, were it was "safe", though no one was sure what was unsafe about the clan. They didn't question her. She was their mother, and they trusted her.

But things weren't always so good. Leaf-bare was always a challenge for them as food was scarce and with only 4 cats to hunt for it they were always hungry. The constant threat of clan cats pushing them from the forest was always there and though most of the time they weren't bothered, sometimes hostile cats would battle them for food. It was the evening of the eighth moon since they had left the clan they were enjoying a rather large rabbit when Snow heard a noise in the bushes...

"Summer,what do you think that was?" Snow asked, but before Summer had a chance to answer a fast moving brown shape emerged from the bushes and launched itself at her. soon after two other cats appeared, and launched themselves into the batttle. As Ember yowled a battle cry each of Summer's kits did the same. Twilight took to a smaller cat than herself, probably still an apprentice, as Snow battled a young orange tom cat that must have been twice her size. Ember wiggled her way into her mothers battle and gave the brown tom a swift swipe across the nose.

The battle could have continued on if there had not been a distinctively tweeked yowl from the crest of the hill. It was fierce and demanding, but Twilight thought she heard a small amount of sadness as well, but she had no way to be sure.

"Sunstorm!" the small white-and-brown she-cat bellowed, "You were sent to drive out the rogues, not to kill them!"

Ember was about to attack this cat when she noticed the string of leaves secured around her neck with cobwebs. This cat was a medicine cat.

"But Dreamcatcher, these cats have been a threat to the small amount of prey there is in Leaf-bare and clearly have no real use to our clan."

"That may be so, but there are consequences to disobeying Wolfstar's orders."

"Who are these cats?" hissed Snow to Summer, but she wasn't listening. She was gazing at this cat with a look of disbelief in her eyes, as it padded down the hill towards her, Dreamcatcher whispered in her ear, "I told you I'd always protect you, and I am going to keep my promise."

"Back off Dreamcatcher. There must be something more important than this that you have to do." Sneered Sunstorm. "Go, and take your apprentice with you." None of the rogue cats had noticed, but there was indeed another cat among them, who was clearly Dreamcatcher's apprentice.

"Come, Deeppaw," meowed Dreamcatcher, as she turned away. "This isn't over, Sunstorm," she hissed back over her shoulder. Sunstorm sat, defiant and motionless, his eyes staring coldly after them as they disappeared over the hilltop.

Twilight then noticed something. Not once had she seen the brown toms face. he had had his back to Summer and her kits the whole time. Now Sunstorm turning to him and muttering something. The cat turned swiftly and pinned Summer to the ground. She struggled until she caught a glimpse of the toms flashing yellow eyes. A look of terror came over her, and she went limp.

"Kill her," growled Sunstorm.

But the cat faltered. It should have been easy. The other rogue cats were paralysed by fear, and there was nothing standing in his way, but still, he faltered.

"Hawkeye, did you not hear me? I told you to kill her! Do not disobey me!"

But instead Hawkeye let her loose, and as he did muttered, "No, Dreamcatcher was right. We were sent here to drive them out, not to kill them."

"Do not test me, Hawkeye," growled Sunstorm.

But Hawkeye drew himself up, so that he towered over the younger cat. "You may be the deputy of our clan, but our leader gave us an order. And it is my duty, as a senior warrior, to carry out that order." Seeing clearly that the argument was over, but still determined to have his way, Sunstorm yowled an order to the apprentice.

"Stay here with Hawkeye and help drive out these rogues, I am going back to the camp to inform Wolfstar of the events that have taken place here." The apprentice gave him a defiant look, but followed his orders without question.

As Sunstorm disappeared over the hill, Summer turned to her kits, "You must go now, I will follow shortly," and to the apprentice, she murmured, "You may accompany them if you must." She then turned and hung her head. The other cats walked mindlessly towards the border, with the apprentice following close behind.

Together the three rogue cats stumbled towards the border, shocked at what they had just seen. The younger apprentice trotted nervously along behind them, afraid that at any moment, they might turn on her. Each of the cats gazed at each other, hoping for an answer to all the questions buzzing around in their heads. None of them said anything to each other. They were all lost in thought. As the rogue cats crossed the border, the apprentice finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry about the way Sunstorm treated you. He just gets that way sometimes, but he really isn't a bad cat. I think he has some sort of problem with our medicine cat, Dreamcatcher. Their relationship has never been the  
same since... well, I've already told you to much anyway."

"Yeah, of course. Not to be rude, but how would we use the information against you?" Snow looked a little confused of why this cat was being so nice to them.

"Was that cat, Sunstorm, your mentor? He seemed a little hot headed," Ember added.

"Yeah, but like I said, he's not always like that. I'm Windpaw, by the way."

"I'm Twilight, and these are my sisters, Ember and Snow. The cat you saw before was our mother, Summer."

"She seamed a little upset. You know, jumpy, or something."

"Well i guess, like your mentor, she wasn't herself. Although I've never seen her act that way before." Ember admitted.

"We all have our days I guess. But I should hurry back to camp. If I'm not back soon Sunstorm will come looking for me. And with that the cat disappeared into the bushes, but not without glancing behind her at the three cats, starring, puzzled, back at her.

* * *

Summer was just about to follow her kits, when the all-to familiar vocie called out to her.

"Summer," Hamkeye murmured to her. "Please, stay. At least for a while." Summer was tempted to strick back at him with a wild retort, but she didn't, she couldn't. His yellow eyes held her, fixed, just as they had done many moons ago when they had first met. so she settled herself into the grass, waiting for him to make the first move.

"You haven't changed. You couldn't beat me in training, for the few moons that we trained together, and you still can't" he teased.

But summer was in no mood for jokes. She quickly changed the subject. "How's the rest of the clan?" She asked. "I see you have some new members." She was refurring to the two apprentices she had seen.

Sensing her desperation, he played along with her. "Ya, the apprentices you saw, Deeppaw and Windpaw, were your sisters' kits."

"My 'sisters' Kits?" she said, mildly annoyed, "so they're siblings?"

"No, they aren't siblings, but they spent tons of time together. They might as well be." He laughed, "we have some beautiful kits that are about to become apprentices too, Birdcall's kits."

"Birdcall?" Summer was quite suprized, "But she swore but all of Starclan she'd never have kits"

"She and Oaktail decided they wanted kits after all" Hawkeye shoke his head. "Speaking of kits," He approched his next question cautiously, "how are they?"

At the question Summer felt almost infuriated. How dare he ask how the kits were? "You saw them, how do _you_ think they are?"

"They look like they would make great warriors." He droped his head low, "if you were still in the clan."

"If we were still in the clan they would be the greatest warriors the clan has ever know, it's your loss that they aren't." Though she sounded covinced, she was far from it.

Hawkeye nodded his agreement, and the two of them sat in a tense silence for some time. Summer was thinking of all the things her kits would have if they had stayed in the clan. A safe place to live, friends, and food in leaf-bare.

Hawkeye was thinking of the things that the clan would have. Four more great warriors. Warriors to hunt for them in Leaf-bare and protect them in times of need.

The silence was broken only by a soft voice that drifted around a nearby bush. "Hawkeye, are you there? Wolfstar sent me to find you. He's worried" The small redish-brown she-cat came into view. "You shouldn't -" the cat stopped abruptly when it caught sight of Summer.

The tension between them had lasted eight moons, and might last forever. The last time summer had seen this cat she couldn't say enough about how low-down and inconsiderate Summer was, for not being graitfull for what the clan had done for her. But she didn't understand. She _was _graitful for what the clan had done for her. It was the clan that was ungraitful of what she had done for them.

"Hawkeye, you should hurry back to camp. They've been expecting you." The redish she-cat went on.

"I'll be there shortly, Firedancer. You go on back to camp and tell Wolfstar that I might do some hunting on my way back." Hawkeye was stern, and Firedancer knew he wouldn't give in. Reluctantly, she turned away from the two cats. Without casting a single glace at Summer, she ran off in the direction of the camp.

Hawkeye turned back to Summer and proceded to tell her all the events of the past eight moons. Who had had kits, who had become warriors, and how Wolfstar had made Sunstorm his deputy instead of Oaktail. He told her of the rockslide in the camp three moons ago and of the greencough epidemic the moon after she left.

"Hawkeye," she thought, "never could keep a secret." For the first time in eight moons she truly thought of going back to the clan. But she knew that not all the cats would welcome her back. Firedancer, for one would be less than pleased to see her face again. And she knew that their deputy had something against her, but she didn't know what.

Slowly, time passed. And when Hawkeye couldn't think of anything else interesting to tell her, the conversation was over. But Summer didn't find it easy to say goodbye to this cat. She had found out that day that he still held a special place in her heart.

"You'd better go Hawkeye, it's getting dark. You better not be to late or they'll send Firedancer after you again." It was not easy for her to act happy when she felt like her heart was breaking all over again. It had taken eight moons to patch up the hole the clan had left in her heart. This had brought it all rushing back again.

"You take care of yourself, my Summerrain, and take care of the kits too." Hawkeye couldn't imagine what she had been through, or what she was going to have to go through now. Whatever it was he hoped it was going to get better for her.

"I will, I promise." Summer replied as he walked slowly away through the long grass. She was going to miss him, but she had a stange feeling that she was going to see him again, very soon. As she journyed back ot her own home, just outside the border, she realized there was no easy way to deal with her feelings about the clan. But one day she would have to, and she knew it too.

* * *

The night was cold, but the two young cats needed to talk. They crept out of the den, and huddled together just outside.

"You do realize that this day has changed the rest our lives." Twilight hissed. Ember noded her agreement.

"I don't understand anything those cats said, realy. All I know is, that it can't be good for us." Ember murmured.

"Nothing the clan dose is good for us" Twilight agreed.

"The only question is, what are we going to do now Twilight? For the first time ever, I think I'm realy scared."


End file.
